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Burial 9 of the Mán Bạc archaeological, south of Hanoi, Vietnam.

The 4,000-year-old remains of a young man are now teaching archaeologists about life as a prehistoric disabled person. Discovered at a site called Mán Bac in Vietnam, Burial 9— as this individual is now known— was discovered in the fetal position, suggesting life-long paralysis or handicap. All other burials were discovered laid straight, as you would expect.

Burial 9 suffered from weak, brittle bones, as well as fused vertebrae that likely made it impossible to walk. Researchers believe he could have been paralyzed from the waist down at birth or during adolescence, but lived another ~10 years. Burial 9 likely had minimal arm movement and could not feed himself. The survival of this man gives evidence to a society that cared for the disabled.